Come Softly To Me
by Siddiqm2000
Summary: James Potter thought that he had managed to break up Severus and Lily. Little did he know how wrong he was. AU. Oneshot


**Disclaimer: All People And Places You Recognize Are Property Of J K Rowling**

 **A/N: This story, inspired by Alethea27's 'If You Needed Somebody' was posted on 26/07/17, but later, some minor changes were made.**

 **Warning: This story contains James Potter Bashing.**

Lily Evans was sitting at a table at The Three Broomsticks, a glass of butterbeer in her hands. She was thinking about her ex-friend, Severus Snape, who lived four blocks away from her. Since their graduation from Hogwarts six months ago, she hadn't set eyes on him. She had ended their friendship in their fifth year after he had called her mudblood— a nasty name for a witch or wizard with Muggle parents like her. He was being picked on by two of the most popular guys in the school an W d she had tried to help him. One of them, whom she used to hate, was James Potter, who was now her fiancé. While they were at Hogwarts, he constantly tried to get her to go out with him, and she had always refused. However, in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, she agreed to date him on the condition that he stopped hexing Severus and other students, mostly Hufflepuffs and Slytherins just for the fun of it.

She had just received the news that Severus had been attacked at his home in Manchester by three death eaters. Up until that moment, she had thought that Severus had joined the death eaters after Hogwarts, but that news that told her that her suspicions were wrong. She wondered why the death eaters had tried to kill him. He wasn't a muggle-born, an auror or a member of the Order of the phoenix and these were the people that were usually attacked.

As she sat, Kingsley Shacklebolt, her Ravenclaw year mate and fellow Order of the phoenix member walked into the pub. He spotted her, walked over to where she was sitting and sat down at the chair opposite hers.

"Hello Lily," said Shacklebolt.

"Kingsley," she replied, nodding.

"I have just been to see Severus. He's been discharged."

"What happened actually?"

"He was attacked by five death eaters, Mulciber, Avery and Rosier among them. He managed to hold his own against them. He injured two and killed one. However, the remaining two managed to curse him before the aurors could arrive at the scene. However, they have been captured and taken to Azkaban to await trial. Severus was taken to St Mungo's and he's just been discharged."

"Do we know why he was attacked?"

"Yes. Potter and Black." Lily straightened up in her chair.

"What the hell did those two do this time."

"Apparently, they went into the Leaky Cauldron and yelled for everyone at the pub to hear that Severus has accepted an offer from Dumbledore to duel and kill the Dark Lord for ten galleons. The Dark Lord has spies planted everywhere except for maybe, Hogwarts. One of them must have heard and told him, who then ordered the attacked on Snape."

Lily was so shocked at was she was hearing she couldn't say anything.

"As if those two haven't done enough damage hexing him everyday for seven years."

"Actually it's six years," said Lily through gritted teeth. "James stopped hexing Severus after I agreed to date him."

"No, he didn't." said Kingsley. "He hexed him multiple times from behind during seventh year. Who do you think put Severus in the hospital wing the day we wrote our Potions NEWT."

"It wasn't James," said Lily quickly. "James told me that Severus was attempting to hex a first year and the curse rebounded onto Sev."

"Well then, your fiancé lied," said Kingsley. "Potter ambushed him from behind and hexed him. McGonagall gave Potter detention, but Dumbledore said that Potter needn't serve the detention as it was just a harmless prank which went wrong.

Lily couldn't believe her ears, but she knew that Kingsley would never say a lie against anybody. She knew that Dumbledore never tried to stopped James' bullying of students. She also knew that many of the Order members were fed up with James' constant bragging and arrogance. He always blamed Severus for every death eater attack that happened during Order meetings. How he worked that out, nobody knew.

XXX

Petunia Evans was sitting in her favorite armchair in the living room, when she heard a crack from the park across the street. _That must be Lily_ , she thought.

Sure enough, a minute later, she heard the front door open and closed. Lily stepped into the room looking irritable.

"What is wrong with you?" asked Petunia.

"It's James," Lily replied.

"What has that ape done now?"

Lily told Petunia everything that Kingsley told her. Petunia was livid by the time Lily finished.

"I told you so," said Petunia. "Mum and Dad did too. We always knew he wasn't good for you. What are you going to do now?"

"First, I'm going to break off my engagement with James, then I'll go to Severus'. Hopefully, he'll be willing to patch things up."

"I wouldn't be so sure. You've treated him poorly."

"I know I have, and I'm really ashamed of it now."

XXX

The next day, after breakfast, Lily, her engagement ring in her pocket apparated outside James' front door and knocked. James appeared seconds later, his face breaking into a big grin as he saw who it was at the door. Lily stepped in, and turned to face Potter. He attempted to hug her but she held him off.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Try to get Severus killed. Yelling at the Leaky Cauldron that he'd accepted to kill Voldemort for ten galleons knowing that Voldemort has spies everywhere."

"Come on Lily," said James. "It was just Snivellus. Nobody would've given a damn if he'd died. He's got no family or friends."

Lily couldn't believe anyone could say that. "I think we should get married next week, Lils," James continued.

"Nobody's getting married, Potter."

"What do you mean?"

"We are not going to marry."

"What do you mean?" asked Potter again.

"You're a lying and arrogant pillock, sending death eaters to where I live, knowing fully well that they could decide to kill my family. I don't know why I agreed to marry you in the first place." She took the ring out of her pocket and threw it at him. "You can have your ring back."

"What do you want me to do with it," he asked stupidly.

"Give it to Pettigrew, since he worships the ground you walk on."

Lily walked out of the house, slamming the door behind her, and with one place in her mind, turned on the spot, feeling the sensation of being sucked through a tube.

XXX

Severus sat in front of his fireplace, reading the latest article out of _Transfiguration Today_. He heard a knock on the door. He frowned as he rarely had any visitors. He put the magazine aside, stood up and walked to the door. He grabbed the door and pulled the knob open. Surprise flashed in his eyes as he saw the person standing at his front door.

"Severus, please let me in." said Lily.

He ushered her inside the house and bolted the door. They stood facing each other.

"Shouldn't you be with Potter?"he asked coldly.

"We are not together anymore," was her reply.

"Good for you."

"Severus please, we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. You smiled at my humiliation, I called you mudblood. I apologised, you didn't and told me that we were done as friends."

"Severus please, that was a mistake and I'm sorry."

"Are you?" he asked cooly.

"Yes," she said angrily. "Sorry that I smiled at your humiliation, called you by that horrible name, refused to forgive you and accusing you of wanting to be a death eater."

"I am sorry too Lily," said Severus. "Sorry for calling you mudblood."

"How about this? Forgive me and I'll forgive you too," she said taking his hand.

"Done."

"Love you," said Lily.

And then they hugged.

After a few moments which seemed like an eternity, they broke the hug.

"Let's go get some butterbeer," suggested Lily

"Yeah," said Severus. "And while we're about it, we could catch up."

 **The End**

 **Hope you liked it. Please read and review.**


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